Using Other Systems for Traveller

[Vargas]

Other than licensed versions of Traveller, what rules systems would you/have you used to play a game you'd think of as being distinctly Traveller?

 

[rancke]

Other than licensed versions of Traveller, what rules systems would you/have you used to play a game you'd think of as being distinctly Traveller?

One that I have used in the past is Heltesagaerne (The Hero Sagas), my own almost-but-not-quite finished rules set.

If I had to use a published system, I think I'd go with Basic Role-Playing even though I've never seen the SF rules (Futureworld). At a pinch I think I could make do with Call of Cthulhu and make up the ultra-tech stuff myself, though it would be more work than I'd care for.


Hans

 

[GypsyComet]

Most of the adaptable systems that haven't seen a Traveller adaption are built toward genre conventions that aren't terribly compatible with the Traveller "vibe", and/or they already have a space setting (or in the case of FATE, two or three).

 

[robject]

Perhaps Thousand Suns, or Burning Wheel ?

 

[Hemdian]

Perhaps Thousand Suns, or Burning Wheel ?

Burning Empire. (I have it, but haven't yet played it.) Based on the Burning Wheel engine and with a story from a graphic novel, the designer references Traveller as an influence in the foreword.

 

[Samog]

the systems ive used with traveller include phoenix command / living steel, morrow project, and fading suns and recently ive been consideribg a BRP conversion

 

[mike wightman]

To run Traveller games I have used:

CT
MT
MgT
T2k v1
Aftermath
Space Opera
T2300
BRP
WW
EABA
Serenity
Burning Wheel/Burning Empire
Savage Worlds

 

[Timerover51]

Other than licensed versions of Traveller, what rules systems would you/have you used to play a game you'd think of as being distinctly Traveller?

Are you looking for complete rule systems, or what other systems we use in conjunction with Traveller. I do not use the Traveller personal combat system.

 

[Vargas]

Are you looking for complete rule systems, or what other systems we use in conjunction with Traveller. I do not use the Traveller personal combat system.

I was thinking more along the lines of "I use Savage Worlds/BRP/Thousand Suns" to play Traveller than just replacing parts of it.

 

[Timerover51]

I was thinking more along the lines of "I use Savage Worlds/BRP/Thousand Suns" to play Traveller than just replacing parts of it.

I like Traveller, Classic/Starter/The Traveller Book, and have not found anything to replace it in general. I just do not like the combat system.

 

[rhialto]

I like Traveller, Classic/Starter/The Traveller Book, and have not found anything to replace it in general. I just do not like the combat system.

I too like the CT/Starter/TTB and am currently looking at combat system options: out of curiosity, what did you replace the combat system with?

 

[Timerover51]

I too like the CT/Starter/TTB and am currently looking at combat system options: out of curiosity, what did you replace the combat system with?

I use the system from Don Featherstone's book, Skirmish Wargaming. It does need to be modified to handle animals though. With respect to humans and human-size targets, it works nicely in my view. For modifiers, I go with every skill level in a weapon increases the hit probability by 10%. One die roll takes care of everything, once any modifiers are added or subtracted.

 

[Blue Ghost]

I'm curious why you'd use anything other than the basic rules to run a game in the OTU.

 

[aramis]

Burning Empire. (I have it, but haven't yet played it.) Based on the Burning Wheel engine and with a story from a graphic novel, the designer references Traveller as an influence in the foreword.

Burning Empires (note the s). I've played it, and it really can be easily run as a Traveller-ish ruleset... tho' I myself didn't.

The feel is very much "Traveller Meets SG-1" with a few other influences.

Powered Armor, grav tanks, spinal zapguns, fusion secondaries, lasers and missiles in the turrets and bays...

And body stealing worms, who make one think "Goa'uld."

Chris is remarkably open about the Traveller influences. Essentially, the Iron Empires setting started as an ATU... and morphed over time.

The Graphic Novels are excellent.

The BE rules encode a LOT of setting information into Char Gen. More so even than CT or MT do... but there really isn't much fluff text. Still, when I posted my session summaries, Chris was very much assuring me I'd grasped the setting - but I'd not read the graphic novels at the time! I mixed my Traveller knowledge with the setting information encoded in the mechanics and got a really "true to the Iron Empires" game.

 

[Timerover51]

I'm curious why you'd use anything other than the basic rules to run a game in the OTU.

I am assuming that you are addressing your question to me, Blue Ghost.

Call it a case of liking another combat system that I was using long before I got into Traveller, and decided that it worked very well for simulating small-scale personal combat.

 

[rancke]

I'm curious why you'd use anything other than the basic rules to run a game in the OTU.

In my case it's because I find the Traveller rules inadequate to my needs. That is especially the case with the basic rules, which are much to coarse-grained for me. Two six-siders just don't provide adequate decision space IMO.


Hans

 

[rhialto]

I use the system from Don Featherstone's book, Skirmish Wargaming. It does need to be modified to handle animals though. With respect to humans and human-size targets, it works nicely in my view. For modifiers, I go with every skill level in a weapon increases the hit probability by 10%. One die roll takes care of everything, once any modifiers are added or subtracted.

Thanks; I'm not familiar with that (though I know who Don was). How much conversion of CT weapons and armor was required?

I've been looking at Snapshot, Striker, Ty's "Double - Tap" CT variant and converting MgT armor values to dice (as opposed to static AV's; similar to BRP's variable armor variant).

 

[Ulsyus]

To run Traveller games I have used:

CT
MT
MgT
T2k v1
Aftermath
Space Opera
T2300
BRP
WW
EABA
Serenity
Burning Wheel/Burning Empire
Savage Worlds

All in the 3I? The only other system I tried was pre-Fusion Cyberpunk, but it lost a lot of the Traveller-y feel. CT, MT, TNE, T4, all had benefits. But T5 is just top banana!

 

[whulorigan]

... converting MgT armor values to dice (as opposed to static AV's; similar to BRP's variable armor variant).

Another alternative to that is to use T4's Armor System. In T4, each point of armor "eliminates" 1 die of damage (so it is implicitly a variable point value).

All armor is defined as either "Rigid" or "Flexible". Rigid armor completely eliminates 1 die for each armor point. Flexible armor reduces each "eliminated" die to a single point of damage per armor point (representing bruising, etc).

Also, no weapon does more than 3 dice of damage (additional dice are considered over-penetration, and are wasted). Certain weapons in their descriptions ignore this rule on a case by case basis.

 

[mike wightman]

All in the 3I? The only other system I tried was pre-Fusion Cyberpunk, but it lost a lot of the Traveller-y feel. CT, MT, TNE, T4, all had benefits. But T5 is just top banana!

Yes, all in the 3I, or my ATU/proto version of it at least